friday night tailwind
by Ju5t An0th3r H3d63h06
Summary: or the one where the happy-go-lucky Tubeline Bridge biker gang boss and the revenge-seeking Triad-hunting trainer cross paths. —au, sequel, oneshot.


**a/n: Because I was playing Black for the memories, and I forgot it was Friday, and then I got mobbed by bikers who wanted to fight/mow me down. I'm a girl in Doc Martens, leave me alooooooooone...And yeah, I did give Hugh a teamful of Eeveelutions and make Rosa the slightly cray-cray biker boss. I don't know anymore ugh. ****Also, amvs are consuming my life so if anyone has a product key for Sony Vegas I would love you forever. :3**

**This one's for A, who still refuses to tell me her FF name. I'm gonna find you, you know! ...wow ok never mind I sound like a freaking stalker. And also for Lux Rei who is sick. *tears* Get well soon, Rei-chan! And ****ShadowGirl, if you are reading this, I pinky-promise your fic is next on the list.**

**Disclaimer: NO I DON'T OWN POKEMON FOR THE LOVE OF ARCEUS STOP REMINDING ME.**

* * *

i wanna scream&shout  
&let it all out  
&scream&shout  
&let it out.

~will. i. am. ft britney spears, scream&shout

* * *

friday night tailwind

* * *

"...I am never going near Shopping Mall Nine again."

Hugh Noir slumps onto a bench, an expression of faint horror visible on his face. Next to him, a lavender catlike Pokémon leaps lightly onto the wooden surface, glibly walking across his dark pants to get to the shopping bag he's just set down.

The dark-haired teen sighs and lifts the bag just out of reach.

"Espeon, go away. You don't even eat chocolate."

"Spi." The Psychic-type Eeveelution scowls, stalking over to the other side of the bench.

"Well, sorry if I was too busy getting mauled by Pokémon-battling old ladies to buy you any Berries," says the male Trainer sarcastically, rolling his crimson eyes. "I barely got out of there unscathed, and I went to buy a _Snickers bar_."

Espeon licks a dainty paw and begins washing its face, completely unsympathetic to its Trainer.

Hugh reaches into the hideously pink Mall Nine bag and retrieves said candy bar, unwrapping it and taking a large bite. "Oh look. Dinner," he declares through a mouthful of caramel, peanuts, and chocolate.

Espeon casts a disdainful expression in his direction, and the dark-haired Trainer sighs.

"Look, I'm pretty much broke. Chocolate is cheap."

"Spion es-pi."

"What do you _mean,_ balanced meals?" demands Hugh incredulously. "In case you haven't noticed, we've been sleeping in _trees!_"

"Espiiiiii-on!" retorts the Espeon with a glare.

Hugh sighs and inhales the rest of the candy, crumpling the wrapper in a black-gloved hand. "...Let's just get out of here before some crazy shopper decides they want a rematch." He gets up, brushing crumbs off his dark pants, and Espeon flashes its Trainer a disapproving glare as it leaps off the bench and pads across the pavement to join him.

* * *

"...That's it, I'm done. This is the tenth time."

Hugh clears someone's sandwich wrapper off the grungy carpeted floor and sits down in the empty space, sending out all six of his Pokémon at once. "Not battling anyone anymore," he adds as he takes out a Berry Pouch and starts doling out Sitrus Berries. "I'm freaking sick of death glares."

Flareon snickers.

"You shut it, it's your fault." Hugh glares at the smirking Fire-type, ignoring the curious glances of nearby Trainers. Flareon pointedly ignores him and neatly toasts a Berry before swallowing it whole.

"Va!" The Vaporeon currently sneaking a sip from Hugh's water bottle looks up interestedly and holds out its berry for Flareon to char.

Hugh sighs, leaning against the wall and ruffling his spiky blue-black hair agitatedly. "We should've _been_ to Icirrus by now!" He slams a clenched fist into the ground, and although it doesn't harm the floor, a few nearby Trainers take a step back.

"Ti, jol-ti?" Hugh's Jolteon blinks at its Trainer, deep black eyes revealing a hint of concern.

"…Sorry." Hugh sighs, unclenching his fists. "It's just...those damn ninjas will probably be gone by the time we hit the Moor of Icirrus. They're so freaking _fast._ Plus, they don't have to deal with a biker-infested Tubeline Bridge."

"Hey, you!"

Startled, Hugh looks up. A woman who looks like she's one of the crazy Shopping Mall Nine bag ladies is staring down at him. Instinctively, he scoots backwards a bit on the carpeted floor.

"I wouldn't go out on that bridge tonight if I were you," warns the lady, thankfully not noticing his momentary flinch. "This gang of bikers, Black Serperior, takes over this bridge every Friday night and battles anyone who steps onto it. They're crazy strong. And even if you manage to beat them, there's the boss to deal with too."

"...Thanks. I'll be careful." Hugh nods at the lady. "Return, guys," he adds, taking out five Poké Balls, and every Eeveelution except Umbreon disappears in a flash of light. The Dark-type leaps lightly onto his shoulder, grabbing the last Sitrus Berry as it does so, and Hugh scoops up the empty pouch.

"Let's move."

* * *

The roar of what has to be twenty motorcycles assails the ears of Hugh and Umbreon as soon as they step outside. Bikers are everywhere, speeding up and down the cantilever bridge at speeds that would probably set world records if the Friday night Tubeline takeover was actually legit. Despite himself, the teenage Trainer is actually pretty impressed, but that feeling quickly fades when he is nearly run over.

"Hey, looks like we got ourselves an intruder!" yells the biker thug who nearly made Hugh a splatter on the pavement. Naturally, two of his cronies come over to gawk.

"You think he from round here?"

"Nah, man. He look pretty tough to me. All the Trainers near here are wimps."

"The real question is, can he battle?"

"Yeah, 'cause you be seeing Trainers look all tough and turns out, they can't battle worth a damn."

"So, little lost Trainer. Care to play?"

Hugh levels a piercing glare at the trio. "You sure talk big, don't you?"

The nasty grins on the three bikers' faces quickly turn to snarls as they send out a Drapion, a Bisharp, and a Krookodile in tandem.

"Fantastic," mutters Hugh, swearing under his breath as he faces the three fully-evolved Pokémon. "Umbreon, Flareon, Leafeon! Attack!"

* * *

One Dig—Fire Fang—Leaf Blade combo later, the entire circle of bikers is stunned into silence.

"Wh-what?! That's not possible!" yells the middle biker. "My Bisharp's the strongest thing on this bridge!"

"Chance, you a liar," retorts the left biker. "My Krookodile can kick your ass any time."

The middle biker—Chance—raises a fist. "You fucking-"

"Shut up, both of you!" roars the right biker with a vicious glare. "We all lost, deal with it! Someone go get Boss!"

"I got it," mutters Left Biker, climbing onto his bike and speeding off.

"Boss?" Despite his current predicament, Hugh expresses his curiosity.

"Yeah, Boss," snickers Chance, mimicking his tone nastily. "You gon die."

"Psh, yeah," replies Right Biker with a scoff. "Boss'll kick your ass good. Just you watch, Qwilfish Head."

"Qwilfish Head? Really, Reese?"

The circle of bikers grows deadly quiet.

Hugh blinks and stares at the bridge's grating. _Funny, those Osiris high-tops weren't there before..._ He looks up.

There is a girl in front of him.

She's wearing a sky-blue shirt, a sunshine-yellow miniskirt, black leggings, and pastel sneakers, and her dark brown hair is in two Sailor Moon-style buns. She's also got a jet-black North Face jacket with the Black Serperior insignia on it draped loosely over her shoulders.

"Hmm, I think he looks more like a Pineco. Or maybe a Ferroseed," continues the girl as she examines Hugh from all angles. "But you'd have to have green hair...Like Drew Hayden from the Wallace Cup this year. Did you see his last battle with May? It's a shame he lost, he had some really nice appeals. But no, you couldn't pull off his look, you'd have to have bangs to flip..."

Umbreon flashes Hugh an expression that says, quite clearly, _Why do you attract crazies? _

Hugh glares down at his Pokémon. _Thanks for the sympathy._

"Wooooooow, an Umbreon!" The girl ends her rant when she catches a glimpse of Hugh's Pokémon, cerulean orbs filled with undisguised awe as she bends down to look more closely. Umbreon examines her with golden eyes matching the yellow markings on its body. Deeming her semi-trustworthy, or at the very least not-deadly, the Dark-type Eeveelution dips its head and allows her to touch the golden circle on its forehead.

Hugh grits his teeth but says nothing—Umbreon and Espeon are the best of his Pokémon at reading emotions, seeing as they are on the Psychic end of the spectrum, and he's not planning to question their judgment.

"Oh! Are you the one who beat Chance, Reese, and Zeke?" The girl finally notices Hugh's annoyed expression and straightens up.

"...Yeah?" Hugh says, although in his slightly unnerved state it emerges more as a question.

"Yay!" cheers the girl happily. "Usually, you'd battle my twin brother, Nate. But since he's stalking the Battle Subway for a bit, I get to battle everyone who comes through the Tubeline Bridge! It's so much fun! Oh, by the way, I'm Rosa," she adds. "Who're you?"

"Hugh," snaps the dark-haired Trainer, irritated by the girl's happy-go-lucky attitude. "Listen, can you hurry up? I have to get to Icirrus by tonight."

"Okay, I'll fight you! But I'm warning you—I'm really strong!" declares Rosa, eyes bright with excitement.

_This girl doesn't have a single shred of fear in her,_ Hugh realizes. He's given no time to doubt his choice to battle, however, thanks to the entirety of the Black Serperior gang forming a large ring around the duo. One of the bikers speeds forward and adopts the position of referee.

"The rules are simple!" yells Referee Biker in Hugh's general direction. "Three Pokémon each, first one to knock out all three is the winner, no substitutions or mercy rule!"

Hugh shrugs and picks his three Pokémon. _Not like I have much of a choice._

Across the field, Rosa has also finished picking out Poké Balls. "Okay!" she calls across. "I'm ready!"

"Begin!"

Referee Biker revs his engine, and the responding roars of twenty-nine other bikes almost blow out Hugh's eardrums. Through a dim haze of auricle pain, he catches the girl's battle cry as she tosses a Poké Ball.

"I'm Rosa Blanc, the Boss of the Black Serperior Gang, and I'm going to crush you!"

* * *

"Jolteon, use Thunder!"

The Electric-type Eeveelution braces its feet against the ground and forces a giant pulse of electricity out of its pure-white spikes. Lightning arces everywhere, and Jolteon struggles to control the rogue bolts of electricity towards the huge Dark-and-Dragon-type Pokémon towering over it.

"Counter with Screech, Rei-chan!" calls Rosa determinedly, and her Hydreigon complies with all three of its heads. Jolteon flinches visibly but manages to retain control of its attack, sending thunderbolts straight into the body of the dragon currently struggling to stay aloft. It shrieks in pain and dips a few inches, dark wings slowing as it struggles to stay aloft.

"Don't give it time to rest!" yells Hugh as he watches the dragon attempt to gain altitude. "Follow up with Charge Beam!" The attack is weaker than usual—Hugh's Lightning Pokémon is still recoiling from the Defense-lowering Screech—and Hydreigon easily shakes it off with an angry roar.

"Keep it up, Rei!" cheers Rosa with a grin. Inwardly, Hugh wonders how she can be so happy about this battle. From the beginning, attacks have been flying at a dizzying pace in an intense back-and-forth showdown. Hugh's specialty is agility—the catlike Eeveelutions that make up his team are quick and efficient with dispatching their attacks. However, Rosa is terrifyingly strong, and although the cobalt-haired Trainer has only seen two of her Pokémon—the Hydreigon he's currently fighting and the Arcanine his Espeon defeated with a well-aimed Psychic—he can already tell that the rest of her team is just as powerful.

Hugh mutters a swear word under his breath. "Shake it off, Jolteon! We're not done yet!"

"Jol-ti!" The Screech has worn off almost completely, and Jolteon, although tired, isn't about to give up without a fight.

Hugh senses an opportunity. "Finish it off! Thunderbolt, now!"

"No way! Use Dragon Pulse!" retorts the girl, eyes alight with the excitement of battle. The two energy attacks collide, causing a massive explosion that renders the Tubeline Bridge and its surroundings in smoky shades of gray and white.

"Jolteon!" yells Hugh.

There is no answer.

The crimson-eyed Trainer coughs as he searches the smoke for any sign of his Electric-type Pokémon. The smoke gradually clears off, helped along by the speeding Battle Subway trains traveling under the structure every few seconds, and Hugh spots both the cat and the dragon in the middle of the field. Jolteon is still standing, but just barely.

"Hit it with a Dragon Rush!" calls Rosa from across the battlefield.

"Jolteon, use Protect!" Even as Hugh says the words, he knows it's futile. Jolteon's weak green shield is easily shattered by the glowing blue dragon's powerful strike, and his Lightning Pokémon is flung across the battlefield, landing at his feet.

Hugh reaches into his bag for a Sitrus Berry and feeds it to his fallen Pokémon. It opens its eyes and staggers upright, balancing evenly on goldenrod paws, but it's very obvious that the Electric Eeveelution is in no shape to fight.

Rosa stands mutely on the pseudo battlefield, watching the cobalt-haired Trainer heal his Pokémon with an unreadable expression on her face. She notices Hugh noticing her and waves, her blank expression quickly shifting into a bright grin. "This is fun~!" she says happily. "I can't wait to see what you'll send out next!"

Hugh checks his temper just in time. If he says something about her lackadaisical attitude, he'll probably get mauled by the bikers that serve as their captive audience. He grits his teeth and stands up, evaluating his options as he recalls Jolteon in a bright flash of red light. Umbreon, Flareon, and Leafeon are still in fighting shape, but they've each taken a few hits from the previous three-way battle with the bridge bikers. The only Pokémon on his team with no damage at all is Vaporeon.

"'K, Vaporeon, it's all up to you," says Hugh as he detaches the Water-type's Poké Ball from the strap of his bag. "Show them what you've got!" He flings the capsule into the center of the field, and the aquatic Eeveelution emerges with a roar that seems disproportionate for its small stature.

"Oh wow, it's really strong!" Rosa's eyes widen slightly as she stares at the sleek Water-type, and a grin spreads across her face. "I guess it's time for us to get serious, huh?"

"About time," mutters Hugh in an undertone as the brunette withdraws her weakened Hydreigon and exchanges its Poké Ball for that of her last Pokémon.

"Okay, let's go!" calls Rosa happily, tossing the Poké Ball in a graceful arc. "Teach these two why we're called Black Serperior!"

Hugh's spirits sink as the huge Regal Pokémon emerges from its Ball and gives them both a scathing glare that suggests the duo is unworthy of its Trainer's time.

The message is clear: _You're both screwed._

Hugh responds by standing up and matching the glare of the Grass-type. "Well, if we're screwed, might as well make our last stand epic."

"Ri!" agrees Vaporeon determinedly, and the third battle begins.

* * *

"Dammit," swears Hugh angrily as the Grass-type rears its head again, trying another Giga Drain attack.

"Ri, vapo-ri," gasps the Pokémon beside him as it dodges, apparently sharing the same sentiment.

For the past five minutes, the Water-type Eeveelution and the Grass-type starter have been locked in an intense barrage of attacks. Serperior isn't letting up, its devastating Energy Ball attacks blasting away at the bridge and creating horrible clanking noises against the grating wherever it missed. Vaporeon's attacks are similarly avoided by the nimble Regal Pokémon—it bobs and weaves with all the grace of a dancer, leaving a trail of glittering Ice Beam patches on the mesh. It hasn't been hit once.

Despite himself, the cobalt-haired Trainer is impressed by the display of speed. "I can see why it's the namesake of the biker gang," he mutters under his breath.

From across the field, Rosa is grinning like a maniac. "This is so awesome!" she cheers across the field. "I've never had this much fun in a battle before!"

_Never had this much fun in a battle...?_ Her words echo in his head as he orders Vaporeon to dodge again. With a start, Hugh realizes that this battle hasn't been boring and routine like the Trainers he fought off before. This is different, strategy and thinking on your feet and not knowing whether you're going to win or lose. For the first time since he last fought in a Gym, his Pokémon are being pushed to their limits by someone who's willing to go all out on a Trainer she barely knows. His heart is pounding in tandem with the battle rhythm, and the tailwinds from the trains passing by every ten seconds are roaring in his ears, and he's realizing that the girl with the cinnamon buns on either side of her hair is fighting for more than just turf rights. This is what she loves: fun battles and bike racing and the wind whipping her ponytails back and forth as she feeds her Serperior a—

* * *

_Crap._

* * *

"SolarBeam!" yells Rosa, and a halo of pure-white energy gathers around Serperior's body, enhanced by the Power Herb it just ate. Horrified, Hugh looks around for a way to prevent both him and Vaporeon from being blasted off the cantilever bridge in disgrace. His eyes flick across the latest Subway train, the still-icy grating, the steel-reinforced beams—

The..._wait a second._ Hugh stares at the ice, an idea forming in his head. (Executing it without completely destroying his surroundings is another story. Maybe Rosa can wriggle her way out of being charged with damage of city property, but Hugh doesn't want to have to find out if he also possesses that ability.)

"Solar charge, release!" Rosa points a finger straight at Hugh's Vaporeon, abruptly ending the teenage Trainer's internal debate on the merits of good citizenship. He retaliates with the first attack on Vaporeon's move list. "Surf!"

The Water-type obliges, expelling a massive amount of water into the air. Before it can reach the ground, Hugh commands his Pokémon to use Ice Beam. The water attack solidifies into something that resembles the world's largest half-finished ice sculpture arch. Vaporeon manages to get a decent hold on the icicle before Serperior's hypercharged SolarBeam attack crumbles it to bits and subsequently blasts Vaporeon into the air.

"Vaporeon, again!" yells Hugh, silently thanking Arceus that the attack was strong enough to destroy the whole thing instead of flinging mini-glaciers everywhere. Despite its alarming rate of midair descent, Vaporeon picks up on its Trainer's plan and manages to create another ice formation, this time in the shape of a ramp. It lands on all four legs atop the newly frozen structure, proceeding to hurl itself forward and disappear.

Rosa puts two and two together and realizes what the Eeveelution is about to do. "Serperior, Frenzy Plant!"

She's one second too late. Serperior unleashes a bridgeful of giant tree roots at the exact moment Vaporeon turns from a puddle into a Pokémon, rebinding its molecules and unleashing its strongest Blizzard attack at close range.

* * *

The ramp shatters from the impact of Serperior's misfired attack. Ice particles blow everywhere in the night wind and sparkle in the lights of the train that has burst from the tunnel, creating the illusion of an ongoing blizzard in the night that is too warm for one.

Rosa recalls her defeated Regal Pokémon in a flash of red light. Hugh follows suit with his barely-standing Vaporeon. Neither Trainer says a word, caught in the silence of the still-falling ice and the stunned Bikers.

Rosa is first to speak.

"That was SO MUCH FUN!" yells the girl, jumping up and down as if she is literally incapable of staying planted to the ground for more than five seconds.

Hugh gives her an incredulous stare. "Uh, didn't you just..."

"-Lose?" Rosa beams at him from across the battlefield. "Yeah, but it was fun, wasn't it?" Her face turns serious as she adds, "Check out your Pokémon. They're all totally wiped, but they're still feeling the rush of battle. Am I right?"

Hugh glances down at his Pokémon and is not surprised to find that her statement is true. Behind them, the roars of bike engines start back up—someone has suggested a "friendly" race, and it's since escalated into a free-for-all replete with taunting insults and swear words.

"There's more to Pokémon than just fighting," says Rosa, walking to meet him in the middle of the bridge. She's fixing her cinnamon hair buns, using the wind as a makeshift comb before easily twisting each side back into place. "You could wipe the floor with the Shadow Triad using only one Pokémon, but sometimes you just need to let go."

"H-how did you-" Hugh manages a strangled four words before Rosa answers his unspoken question with a pained expression.

"I've kept tabs on them since I was fourteen. I know they're in Icirrus, but I also know you won't catch them because the Plasma Frigate—their invisible moving castle—is picking them up at this moment."

"They took my sister's Purrloin," says Hugh out of nowhere. He doesn't know why he's telling this to the leader of a bike gang, of all people, but now is as good a time as any to reveal why he's hell-bent on revenge. "I caught it for her on her sixth birthday. It returned as a Liepard with barely any memory of its past life."

Rosa doesn't respond for a while, instead staring up at the sky. Hugh is tempted to wave a hand in front of her face until she opens her mouth.

"They took Serperior."

"They took your-" Hugh blinks in shock. _The strongest Pokémon on her team was originally stolen by Team Plasma?_

"I was ten. Super excited about my journey. I picked Snivy. The same day, I ran into the Shadow Triad near Virbank. You know the rest." Rosa inspects the tips of her sneakers as though they're the most interesting item in Unova, and Hugh pretends he doesn't see the unshed tears in her cerulean eyes. When she looks back up, though, her eyes are clear and bright.

"Wow. I sounded like the captain of the angst squad back there. Ahaha...anyway, bye!" Rosa waves and dashes off, quickly getting lost in the chaos of the latest race.

"See you next Friday," says Hugh to an audience of no one, the last of the ice shards falling around him as he heads in the direction of Icirrus City.

* * *

All week, her words echo in his head.

_Sometimes you just need to let go._

* * *

Next Friday, the cobalt-haired Trainer walks back onto the Tubeline Bridge with Plasma Frigate blueprints in one hand and a pair of skates in the other. The bikers heckle him again; he ignores them as he scans the bridge for the Black Serperior boss decked out in all shades of the pastel rainbow. True to form, she appears on a pair of Rollerblades.

"Yay! You're back!" cheers Rosa, grinning at him.

"That's not safe, you know," replies Hugh, glancing pointedly at her skates. "This bridge has holes in it. Brought you something," he adds as he tosses the rolled-up blueprints at her.

"Funny, most guys give flowers," replies Rosa offhandedly as she detaches the tape, quickly scanning the wide blueprint paper. She freezes mid-glance and slowly looks up at him, eyes wide with trepidation. "Is this..."

"Exactly what you think it is." Hugh nods once. "A giant invisible ship is easier to track than it sounds. If we can take down the boss, then no one else will be hit by Pokémon thieves-"

Rosa hugs him mid-sentence, and the blunette tenses up before awkwardly returning the gesture. As they separate, Rosa notices his skates. "So, um, if the skates are dangerous, why'd you bring a pair?"

"Well, you seem to be good with wheels," says Hugh, a smirk appearing on his face despite himself. "And I figure I need them if we're going to chase a giant flying battleship."

"I'm sure I can convince Nate to fill in my spot. He's too obsessed with Battle Subway, anyway," replies Rosa, grinning at him.

"Will I have to beat him first?" Hugh asks, bracing himself for another grueling fight.

Instead of responding, Rosa laughs and motions for him to put on his skates. She skates backwards as he attempts to stand up. "Hurry UP, Qwilfish Head!"

* * *

Two sets of Rollerblades, one set a bit more wobbly than the other, grate against the metal railing of the Tubeline Bridge. There's a castle in the sky above them and subway trains running below them and bikers racing around them. And maybe, just maybe, this will work out.

* * *

Fin.


End file.
